Glaedr
Glaedr was a male golden dragon bonded to the elf Rider Oromis. He was the only dragon besides Shruikan known to have survived the Fall of the Dragon Riders. Both Glaedr and Oromis had remained in hiding in Du Weldenvarden, living on the brink of the Crags of Tel'naeír for safety. If they had died before one of the remaining dragon eggs had hatched, then there would have been no one left to pass on the knowledge of the Dragon Riders to the new Rider. Although Glaedr was a strong and rather large dragon (Saphira said herself that he was three times bigger than she was), he was disabled - his left foreleg was severed by a terrible blow, leaving a white stump in place. History Glaedr hatched for Oromis when Oromis was twenty years old. They trained together as Rider and dragon, and for near a century they traveled the world over, doing missions and tasks set for them by Vrael, the leader of the Dragon Riders. Eventually, Glaedr and Oromis grew tired of being sent on missions and spending their lives always fighting and exploring. So they both retired and decided to teach young Dragon Riders, passing on their knowledge. Ilirea When Oromis and Glaedr moved to Ilirea, they took on one or two apprentices at time. The length of time that they tutored other dragons and Riders is unknown. Eventually they took on Morzan, Brom, Saphira I, and Morzan's dragon. Morzan was full of self-importance, and Brom idolized him. Morzan bullied Brom and took advantage of his devotion. Because of Morzan's cruel treatment of Brom, Oromis and Glaedr considered separating the two; however, they never did. It can be presumed that Glaedr taught Morzan's dragon and Saphira I how to breath fire for extended periods of time, aerial acrobatics/combat, and how to fly in various types of weather, the same way that he trained Saphira later. The Fall Morzan and his dragon were one pair of thirteen, called The Forsworn, lead by Galbatorix to destroy the Riders. Not much is known of Glaedr's activity during this time, but most likely he and Oromis attempted to fight Galbatorix and the Forsworn along with the rest of the Riders. At some point Oromis was captured by two of the Forsworn, Kialandi and Formora, and it's possible that Glaedr was also captured. Oromis was cursed, shortening his otherwise infinite lifespan, and weakening his control and strength with magic. Somehow Oromis, and possibly Glaedr as well, managed to escape. At some point during the fall of the Riders, most likely when Oromis was captured by the Forsworn, Glaedr lost his left foreleg, but exactly why and how Glaedr received this injury is unknown. Once Galbatorix conquered Ilirea for himself, Glaedr and Oromis fled to Du Weldenvarden. Other than Galbatorix and Shruikan, and some of the surviving Forsworn, they were the only dragon and Rider to survive the Fall. Brom survived also, although his dragon was killed at a battle for the control of Doru Araeba. Despite losing his dragon, Brom continued fighting Galbatorix's reign long after all other Riders had been killed off and the elves and dwarves retreated. About eighty years after Galbatorix's campaign against the Riders began, Brom and the Varden successfully killed off all of the Forsworn and rescued one of three remaining dragon eggs from Galbatorix. Brom returned to Ellesméra to visit Oromis and Glaedr once more before going into seclusion. During this time, he told Oromis and Glaedr of how he fell in love with Selena and conceived Eragon. Oromis and Glaedr vowed not to reveal this secret unless it was necessary to do so. Role in Eldest Glaedr became Saphira's mentor, teaching her how to tame her breath of fire and also showing her how to properly fight. He ended up becoming Saphira's object of affection; Saphira had thought that Glaedr would be her mate, despite his large size, but her affection for him was rejected. Later, with Eragon's advice, she apologized for her actions after she attacked him due to his unfavorable reaction, mirroring Eragon's romantic advances on Arya. Role in Brisingr In Brisingr, at the battle of Gil'ead, Oromis and Glaedr were killed while Galbatorix was possessing Murtagh's body. Oromis, who suffered one of his seizures, was struck down by a blow from Murtagh. Glaedr ignored the rest of the battle in one last attempt to try to save his Rider. The dying elf asked for Glaedr to let him go. Enraged but truly alone, Glaedr decided to attack Thorn and Murtagh, biting off the last three feet of dragon's tail. Thorn retaliated, biting Glaedr in the back of his head. At last, the final scion of the Riders died, slain by one of the new generation. However, Glaedr had previously given Eragon and Saphira his Eldunarí, his heart of hearts, and lived on not in flesh but within the Eldunarí. It was through his Eldunarí that Eragon and Saphira felt Oromis and Glaedr's deaths. Book covers Most covers of Brisingr feature Glaedr. BRISINGR.jpg|Glaedr on the cover of Brisingr Brisingr_Germany.png|Glaedr on the cover of the german edition of Brisingr Brisingr_Sweden.jpg|Glaedr on the cover of the swedish edition of Brisingr Inheritance Japan E03V02G Eldest.jpg|Japanese edition of Eldest, vol. 2, 3-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E03V03G Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 3, 3-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V08 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 8, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V09 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 9, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V10 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 10, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V11 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 11, 11-vol. edition Trivia * One of the Japanese versions of Eldest already featured Glaedr, instead of Thorn. Christopher Paolini has stated that, because of this, the Japanese covers of Brisingr will feature the Lethrblaka instead. * When Glaedr's Eldunarí glows faintly, Arya says something in the Ancient Language and it resumes its former glow. * Glaedr is also the name of a poet online, known for his love poems and seems to have written many related to dragons (http://www.poemhunter.com/glaedr-the-poet/) de:Glaedr es:Glaedr it:Glaedr nl:Glaedr pl:Glaedr ru:Глаэдр Category:Dragons Category:Males Category:Deceased Characters